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98.9 Rochester hosts suspended indefinitely for transphobic comments

Following offensive and inaccurate anti-transgender comments from 98.9 ‘Breakfast Buzz’ hosts Kimberly Ray and Berry Beck regarding a recent local ordinance granting transgender healthcare to Rochester city employees and their families, the station released a brief statement saying that the two hosts have been suspended indefinitely.

“As a result of Kimberly and Beck’s hateful comments against the transgender community we have suspended them indefinitely,” said Sue Munn, Vice President and General Manager of Entercom Rochester, which owns the station.

The segment that led to the suspension involved Kimberly and Beck referring to transgender people as “nut jobs” and saying, “The dude can look like a lady and the city is going to pay for it!” These comments were insulting and ignore statements from the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association affirming that treatments for transgender people are safe, effective, and medically necessary.

GLAAD will be continuing to speak with the station’s leadership about transgender people and their health care needs. We will have more updates soon.

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